Trick-or-Treat Numbers from Across St. Charles

St. Charles Patch asked residents from across the city to tell us how many trick-or-treaters they had. These are the numbers.

In a very informal survey, St. Charles Patch asked residents from across the city to tell us, via our Facebook page, how many trick-or-treaters came to their door. The numbers vary from just three to more than 500. All of the numbers were submitted via Facebook. Some of the submissions didn't have cross streets so we weren't able to map them out. The submissions that provided cross streets were plugged into our map on the right hand side. To view the number of trick-or-treaters, just hover your curser over the pin and it will display the count. For the submissions we weren't able to map, we've kept them below. Feel free to share the number of trick-or-treaters that came to your door by telling us in the comments. Thanks for the …

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Share Your Best Halloween Costumes

We're searching for the best Halloween Costume in America. Enter yourself or your kids for a chance to win $5,000.

Pumpkin Recipes Beyond the Pie

From fudge to soup to bread, pumpkin has a lot of opportunities for the home cook.

Stacked in seasonal displays at Herman's Farm and Orchard, at local grocery stores and in piles at roadside stands, fall pumpkins are hard to miss. And while you might see them merely as Jack' O'Lanterns or as a pumpkin pie ingredient, I see more. Pumpkin has potential.  Pumpkin is perfect for recipes ranging from soup to breads as well as cooked into candy to slow-roasted around a pot roast. The fact is, few vegetables offer as many culinary options as pumpkins. The only trick is knowing how to prepare the pulp.  To cook a fresh pumpkin cut them in half (larger pumpkins cut into pieces) then, scrape out the seeds and stringy fibers. Brush cut side with oil and place cut side down in a shallow baking dish. Pour about 1/2 inch water in the …

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12 Halloween Events in St. Charles County

Check out these 12 ways to enjoy the Halloween season from Oct. 15 to 31.

10 Places to Go on a Hayride

Check out these 10 groups who are offering hayrides in October and beyond.

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Celebrate Halloween with Fall Events in St. Charles County

Check out this round up of Halloween events for families in October 2012 on "St. Charles Patch."

Did we miss an event? Click here to add it to the event calendar.  Halloween Events Oct. 1-14 Halloween Events Oct. 15-21 Halloween Events Oct. 22-31

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News and Notes: Costume Exchange, Midlife Crisis, Donuts

See what news your neighbors have shared on Patch in the last month.

St. Charles Patch invites community members and readers to sound off on Patch, share stories about the community, ask questions about what's going on and share news our readers can use.  We're always looking for people to contribute to the conversation and foster discussion about our town. To become a Patch contributor, head here and click Post on Patch.  Here's a sampling of what your neighbors have shared on Patch in the last month: You can tell us what your club, church, business or school is up to on Patch. Brenda Kimberlin offered an update about local Lutheran schools here.  If you are passionate about an issue, tell your neighbors! SarahAnn Lewis wrote about Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month here.  People from United Methodist Church…

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Halloween Horrors Abound at Local Haunted Houses

The three biggest St. Louis area haunted houses open up for the 2012 Halloween season this weekend.

It's time to go boo! in The Lou. Scarefest.com, St. Louis' best haunted attractions, presents a Trilogy of Terror, three very different and chill-inducing haunted attractions. The "trilogy" includes: Each of the Halloween haunts opens in September with added new themes, scarier scenes and more thrills for daring visitors. Here's what's happening at each of the haunts for the 2012 season: The Darkness      The Darkness features three fright-filled haunts under one roof: This year, The Darkness' elaborate, hi-tech animation and Hollywood quality special effects have been expanded and include a breath-taking Zombie Room and huge animatronic scorpions, spiders and snakes. Terror Visions in 3D, inhabited by crazed clowns, has a new video-…

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The Darkness Haunted House is in its 19th Year in St. Louis

The haunted house in Soulard has a national reputation for its attention to detail, and yes, it's scary.

If you're a fan of zombies in your face, nightmare clowns and dismembered heads you probably already know about The Darkness. It’s been in St. Louis for 19 years. General manager Jeremy Tucker works all year changing the sets. He said they  do a 70 percent change each season. “This year, I’m trying to get the actors more involved in the sets,” he said. “Fifty actors. It’s a handful. It’s like the Brady Bunch family times five.” Tucker said he loves this time of year. “This is what I live for,” he said. “I love seeing everybody having a good time, laughing for getting scared, as long as they’re having a good time.” It’s a 30-45 minute journey through the multiple floors and themes. As you pass by monks with stitched scalps and mad …

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